Departments make funding pitches for county budget

Tuesday was the chance for Cole County department heads and elected officials to present their 2016 funding requests to the County Commission.

Last month, Auditor Kristen Berhorst presented a proposed budget of $65.4 million for 2016, up from $62.5 million in 2015.

The auditor's budget has a 2 percent COLA increase and a 2 percent merit pool, which is a reserve account to give merit raises in each county department.

Despite this, all department heads asked commissioners to approve varied amounts of raises for their employees, sighting the need to keep up with other sectors of the business community in maintaining a well-qualified workforce.

In the Sheriff's Department, which has 103 employees, a plan was presented with 1 to 3 percent increases to reward for years of experience.

It would also reward employees for years of experience prior to the coming to the department, for military service and for attaining higher education.

Four new employees are proposed for the Sheriff's Department: three jailers in the county jail and one detective in the patrol division.

Capital expenses in the Sheriff's Department show $297,000 to purchase new vehicles, radio upgrades, Tazers and computer equipment.

The ambulance department budget request includes several adjustments to personnel schedules:

• Merging the 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and 7 p.m.-7 a.m. shift into a 24-hour shift. The extra person that would be left over can be assigned to field supervisor duties.

• Expanding the run area of the ambulances stationed at the Cole County Fire Protection District Stations on County Park Road and in Brazito to cover larger areas, mainly helping on Jefferson City calls.

• Changing the ambulance based at the county jail from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday to a schedule of 7 a.m.-7 p.m. seven days a week.

• Have the part-time staff be utilized on a 4 p.m.-12 a.m. shift on Saturday and Sunday.

There is also a request for a supervisor position and two EMTs, who would primarily be used on the jail ambulance.

The ambulance budget includes more than $506,000 in capital improvement requests, with $220,000 for remounting two ambulances and $132,000 to pay for mounts for cots in ambulances. A one-time payment of $75,000 for the county's share of upgrades to the 911 system would also come out of the sales tax that funds the ambulance service.

The Public Works Department is asking for $100,000 for building repairs for its Monticello Road facility, primarily to its garage doors in the area where county salt and plow trucks are housed.

In 2016, the budget for capital improvement sales tax projects has cooperative projects with Jefferson City including improvements at Stadium Boulevard and Jefferson Street for $951,000. There is also $100,000 for improvements on Capitol Avenue, although details are still being worked out. There's $2.4 million for Swift Road/Boise Brule Road upgrades; and, like last year, $1 million for resurfacing. There's also $425,000 to go to communities in the county for various projects.

Berhorst said reserves in all funds are up and healthy, at or above target levels of 8 to 15 percent of basic revenue.

Sales tax revenue, which is the county's major source of revenue, will be up in 2015 and is projected to stay at 2015 levels in 2016.

The County Commission will spend much of the rest of this month to go through the budget. They are scheduled to vote to approve the budget Jan. 7.